


Desolation

by TheAwkwardStar



Series: Sora-Xehanort Saga [2]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Gen, Not Canon Compliant, Post-Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep, also i was THIS CLOSE to using 'do it. Kill him', but then i thought NO. that joke is too meta, in other news: axel is still terrible with children, not a surprise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-19
Updated: 2018-02-19
Packaged: 2019-03-19 02:01:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13694532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAwkwardStar/pseuds/TheAwkwardStar
Summary: As Sora struggles to deal with the inner turmoil within his heart, his connection with Riku and Kairi becomes more strained.Will it last?Set after the events of Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep and the short story 'Regret'.





	Desolation

"Catch me if you can!"

Sora laughed as Riku was right on his tail. Kairi was a bit further away, but she still seemed to be enjoying herself. He suddenly felt Riku place his hand on his back.

"Gotcha! Now YOU'RE it!"

"Hey! No fair!" Sora turned around just as Riku sprinted away from him. Both he and Kairi laughed as they avoided Sora.

"Come on, Sora! Try to keep up!" Riku shouted.

Sora groaned and tried to speed up a little more. He was starting to lose sight of them as the sun blinded him.

"Guys! At least slow down a little!" Sora yelled between breaths. Eventually he stopped, unable to keep up the pace.

He raised his head to see how far they were...only to find Kairi right in front of him.

"Whoa!" Sora fell on the ground from the scare, making Kairi giggle.

"Sora, you lazy bum! What's the matter?"

"Gimme a break, Kairi..." Sora rubbed his head. "You guys just went ahead without me!"

Kairi smiled and put her arms behind her back.

"...You mean like you've been doing to us this whole time?"

Sora huffed. Kairi kicked her feet up a little.

"It's not like I mean to leave you behind."

Kairi's smile faded.

"Is that so...?"

Sora tensed up as she got closer.

"...We're not stupid, Sora. We know you keep leaving us for _them."_ Kairi tilted her head with an empty look in her eyes.

 _"Why do you keep leaving us? Don't you care? Don't you realize that what they're doing is wrong?"_ Kairi grinned ominously and kneeled down. Sora scooted back a little, his heart beating rapidly.

 _"...Of course you don't. You don't know anything."_ She booped his nose.

_**"One who knows nothing....can understand nothing."** _

Sora looked down and saw himself knee deep in black sludge. He tried to pull himself out, but he only sunk further the more he tried. He tried reaching out to Kairi, who did nothing. He saw Riku and struggled to stretch his arm further towards him, but Riku did not react either.

"Riku! Kairi! Please help me!!!" Sora cried.

His friends stared at him for a while....then turned away.

 ** _"...We're very disappointed in you, Sora."_** They were speaking in unison as they glanced back at Sora for a moment. Sora was coughing out sludge as it rose up to his mouth. He could barely move or breathe anymore.

**_"All you ever do is make mistakes."_ **

Sora woke up screaming. His mother burst into the room seconds later, seeing her son thrashing wildly underneath his bedsheets. She approached him quickly and pulled him out, then hugged him tightly as he started to cry. Sora stopped trembling once she started to hum a lullaby to him. After some time, he fell back asleep. She put him back in his bed and caressed his head, pulling up the covers carefully to not rouse him again. She left his door open just a crack in case she needed to come back, then went to bed.

A portal appeared in his room shortly after, and a hooded figure came through. He looked down at the sleeping boy. He walked over to Sora and cautiously picked him up, then went through the portal with the boy in his arms.

"Soon...you will play your part."

\-----------

Sora didn't know where he was.

He woke up in a completely white room, with strange black symbols on the walls and on the bed he was sleeping in. He was too afraid to get out of bed at first and covered his head and the rest of his body with the blankets. After some time had passed, he saw the door to the room open. A strange, huddled figure in brown rags stepped inside and looked at him.

"....W-who are you?"

The hooded figure lowered its head.

 _"...This world has been connected."_ The figure turned around and started to leave.

_"...Come."_

Sora found himself getting out of bed, even though he didn't want to. He looked down and saw that he was in his black coat again. He avoided dwelling too long on it by getting closer to the hooded figure.

"Where are we going? Do you know where we are? I've never been here before..." Sora twiddled his fingers. The hooded figure did not respond.

"...Did I...do something wrong? Can I go back home now? Are you-"

"Jeez, do you EVER shut up?!"

Sora turned and saw a large table with several seats. Braig was the one who had spoken up, his arms crossed with an annoyed expression. There were other people at the table wearing black coats just like he was, and they all seemed equally irritated.

He noticed one person in the center seat who didn't seem upset with him. He didn't seem to react badly to Sora's presence at all, but instead stared at him with a strange expression. His hair was long and white, with spikes on either side of his head. Sora recognized his golden eyes.

"...Mister...Xehanort?"

The man smiled. "...Not quite."

"That's _'Xemnas'_ to you, you little shrimp."

Sora looked over at a girl with bright blonde hair. Her green eyes looked down at Sora suspiciously. Sora was immediately uncomfortable and looked away.

"Chill out, Larxene. You don't wanna scare him off!" A tall man with a mullet grinned at Sora and winked, strumming a sitar he was carrying.

"Oh shut up, Demyx. No one wants to hear you talk."

"I think you mean.... _Nobody?"_

Half of the members groaned in annoyance. Larxene narrowed her eyes at him. He yelped as electricity manifested underneath his seat and sent him flying a few feet up into the air. That made Sora laugh a little.

 _"What's so funny???"_ Larxene hissed. Sora stopped laughing and looked down.

"Sorry...."

Xemnas raised his hand to silence Demyx and Larxene. Larxene scoffed and looked away while Demyx sat back down.

"I apologize for their behavior, Sora. We are all relatively new to this."

"New to what?" Sora looked confused.

Xemnas placed his hands under his chin and rested his elbows on the table. For someone who appeared so uptight and rigid, Sora wasn't expecting such a casual position from him.

"Surely you know of Xehanort's plans? He does rest within you, after all." Xemnas pointed at Sora's chest. Sora instinctively raised his hand up to cover it.

"....An....Organization." Sora's bright eyes became slightly foggy.

"Correct. 13 of us, to be exact." Xemnas stood up and started to pace around the table. The other members stared at him with unreadable expressions.

"Each of us has a role to play. A task to fulfill. All in preparation for the final act."

"...The Keyblade War..." Sora seemed to be a bit of trance. He eventually shook his head and the light in his eyes returned.

"But...what does that have to do with me?"

Xemnas stopped in front of Sora. He kneeled down to face him directly and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"...You are the last piece we need. The 13th Member so we may claim Kingdom Hearts for ourselves."

A man with long, black hair nodded in agreement. "...And for us to regain hearts of our own again."

"Wait....you guys...don't have hearts?" Sora took a step back. "...Then...what are you?"

"Beings such as ourselves who lack any hearts are called Nobodies. The one who awoke you there..." Xemnas glanced at the figure in a brown cloak. "....Is known as a Heartless."

The hunched figure suddenly grew in height as he stood up properly, then pulled off the cloak. Sora stared in awe at the familiar-looking figure with yellow eyes and the symbol of a heart embedded into his chest. He appeared to be hovering above the ground a little.

"....It's _Ansem."_

Xemnas chuckled. "...Indeed."

"So you...already have 13 members? In that case, you don't need me." Sora smiled nervously, taking a few more steps backwards.

He gasped when he bumped into something behind him. Sora looked up and saw Ansem looming above him with an eerie smile on his face.

"Leaving so soon?"

Sora gulped. "I...just need to go tell my mom I'm ok! She probably thinks I went to sleep at Riku's, but...better to be safe than sorry!" he grinned.

"Oh come now, Sora. That can easily be arranged for your convenience!" A man with long brown hair and green eyes had spoken up.

"If you give me a few hours, I can make something to convince her that you _never left."_ The man sneered.

"Vexen..." Xemnas stated with a warning tone.

Sora started to sweat. "Uh, that's ok. I can deal with it myself!"

 _"Can_ you? Or are you simply reassuring us to ensure your own escape?"

Sora's eyes widened. His eyes darted between all of the members, who glowered at him with suspicion.

Without a second thought, he ran.

Sora heard footsteps behind him as he scrambled frantically down the hall, searching for a place he could hide so he could make himself a portal. He needed to leave this place. Those people were _insane._ The Kairi in his dream was right; he really _didn't_ know what he was getting himself into. How could he have trusted Xehanort so blindly and without hesitation? How could he have not picked up on the signs that something was clearly wrong with the old man? Why did he even agree to pretend that that man was ever related to him???

....Come to think of it....

...Had he ever trusted Xehanort at all...?

Sora didn't get the time to think about it as a wall of flames appeared to block his path.

"Ahhh!" Sora skidded to a halt before he ran into it. Trembling, he slowly turned his head around.

"Well, well. Looks like this little piggy doesn't know how to take a hint."

A tall, lanky boy with spiky red hair grinned at Sora, tapping his foot.

"In case you didn't hear the boss and everyone else: _we still need you._ Got it memorized?" He tapped the side of his head.

"...Just let me go. I don't want any trouble."

"Afraid I can't do that, kid. Orders from Xemnas." Axel summoned two spiked circular weapons in his hands.

"Like 'em? They're called 'Chakrams'. Definitely an upgrade from what I used before..." Axel stared at his weapons and smiled wistfully, as if he were reminiscing about something. Sora slowly took a few steps towards a door nearby and grabbed the handle.

Sora screamed as one of the chakrams was driven into the door, right next to his face. He fell to the ground.

"Uh, _rude._ I was still talking. And by the way, my name's Axel." He chuckled as he started walking towards Sora.

"Take a moment to let that name sink in. Memorize it." Axel raised his other chakram above Sora's head.

"It'll be the last thing you'll remember before I put you to sleep."

Sora turned abruptly towards Axel. Electricity surged through his arm and struck Axel directly, sending him flying. His back slammed against the wall, and Axel knew no more.

Sora's heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest from how fast it was beating. He clutched the arm that he'd attacked with, which was still shaking uncontrollably. He opened a portal behind him and took a few steps backwards as he stared at Axel's unconscious body.

"...I-I'm sorry...." Sora whispered with a quivering voice. The portal closed, and he was gone.

A few minutes later, a man with blue hair entered the area. He looked down at Axel and kicked him in the ribs. Axel woke up coughing.

"Jeez...can't you be a _little_ more gentle?" Axel rubbed the back of his neck and groaned.

The man glared at Axel with contempt.

"...You let him escape."

"Well gee, how was I supposed to know that he was going to shock me as a defense mechanism?" Axel smirked.

"...Your incompetence is staggering." The man grabbed Axel's arm and helped him stand up.

"Yeah, yeah. I know I screwed up again."

A memory popped into Axel's head. Seeing his friend on the ground, shrieking as he covered his face. He remembered removing his friend's hand and staring at the bloody wound in shock.

_"...Isa?"_

He remembered pain. An indescribable amount of it as his heart left his body. He remembered looking up and seeing yellow eyes.

_"Why...?"_

He remembered he'd reached out for the yellow eyes just before everything faded away. Axel flexed his fingers.

"Try not to make the same mistake again next time. Your recklessness might just kill you."

Axel looked over at his 'friend' and grinned, giving him a thumbs up.

"...Roger that, Saix."

\-------------

Sora was sitting on the shoreline, staring out to the sea. The water just barely touched his feet as it rose up and down.

He didn't want to think. He just wanted to sit here and hope that everything would work out.

Some time had passed. He heard footsteps approaching. He turned his eyes quickly and was immediately relieved to see Kairi and Riku. They'd noticed him, and they were coming fast. But instead of saying anything once they reached him, they simply sat down on either side of him and stared out at the open water as well. Their silence was both reassuring amd nerve-wracking to him.

....He wished they would say something.

Kairi was the first to speak up.

"....Sora....are you ok?"

Sora shrugged and winced.

"...I don't know anymore."

Riku turned his head and stared at him with an intense expression.

"...Then let us help you."

"...." Sora looked down at the sand. His eyes filled with tears.

"I can't do that."

Riku frowned. _"Why not?"_

"I just can't!" Sora cried out. Riku and Kairi stared at him in surprise.

"I'm in too deep. I can't bring you guys into this. I....I don't want either of you to get hurt. So please....stop asking me. Let's just sit here, like we always do. It's all I want...." Sora buried his face into his knees.

"...So that's it, then." Riku stood up. Sora raised his head with a worried look on his face.

"You just want to pretend like nothing's wrong. You want me to believe that everything is fine, after your mom came crying to me for the third time asking about you. Because you keep going missing for days on end and come back wearing that weird black coat. She's worried about you. Kairi's worried about you. _I'm_ worried about you. And all you want me to do....is _pretend."_

"R-Riku...I-"

"What?!" Riku exclaimed. "What could you possibly have to say?!? I know you won't tell me what you've been doing, so what's the POINT?!?"

"Riku, stop!" Kairi stood up and grabbed his arm. Riku eventually realized there was a strange weapon in the arm Kairi was holding onto. It looked like a key.

....He was pointing it at Sora.

Riku dropped the weapon, which dissipated into light. Sora was covering his face with his hands.

"...Sora...I....I didn't mean to..." Riku looked down at his hands.

Sora started to laugh a little. Riku and Kairi looked at each other with concern, then turned back to Sora.

"...Maybe you're right, Riku. Maybe there _is_ no point. Maybe we should just stop kidding ourselves into thinking that this would ever work."

"Sora, you're scaring me...." Kairi took a few steps behind Riku, who raised his arm to keep her safe.

Sora stood up with his head down. He raised his arm and his keyblade manifested, shrouded in darkness. The design was slightly different than before. His yellow eyes glowed, despite being somewhat obscured by his hair. A creepy smile formed on his mouth.

**"...You should be scared."**

All of a sudden, the ground started to shake. Sora dropped his keyblade. As it disappeared, the vacant look in his eyes was replaced by fear.

"What's going on?!" Riku looked around as the hills of sand started to crack. He glared at Sora.

 _"What did you do???"_ He shouted accusingly. Kairi held onto Riku's arm and stared at Sora. Her eyes widened.

"Sora!!! LOOK OUT!!!"

Sora instinctively summoned his keyblade again and blocked a slash to his back. He wrestled with a shadowy monster that was trying to get its claws on him. He watched the creature vanish as Riku stuck it down with his own keyblade.

"Take Kairi and get out of here!!!"

"Riku, what about you?!?" Sora grabbed Riku's shoulder, but Riku pulled away.

"Don't worry about me! Just go!!!"

Sora didn't move. Riku sighed and shook his head.

"...I don't really trust you anymore. But Kairi still does. Prove to me you still care and help her. Maybe then, I'll give you a second chance. But for now..."

Riku shoved Sora towards Kairi. He destroyed two of the monsters with a swing of his arm.

"...We're through."

Riku turned and ran towards a horde of the monsters. Sora and Kairi watched in horror as he was enveloped by a wave of darkness.

 _"Riku!!!"_ Sora started running without realizing that he left Kairi behind. He slashed at the monsters with his keyblade relentlessly until none were left. He searched the area frantically, but it was no use.

Riku was gone.

"Sora...."

He turned his head to see that Kairi looked drained of almost all her life and energy. She fell to her knees just as Sora got close to her.

"Kairi...Kairi!!!" He dropped to his knees as well and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her as her eyes started to close.

"Stay with me! Don't close your eyes!!! _Please!!!_

She fell onto Sora's chest and disappeared completely. A single tear fell down the side of Sora's face as the island began to fall apart around him.

He let out a pained cry as everything went black.

\----------

"I've been to see him."

Xemnas glanced over at Ansem. They were inside a room filled with chains. A suit of armor with a keyblade sat in the corner.

"...The boy is sleeping. Leave him be."

"And what of the other? The one who recieved a keyblade of his own?" Ansem grimaced.

"Let him forge his own path. Unless you would be so inclined to...interfere."

Ansem smiled.

"...That...would be interesting."

\-----------

Sora woke up in the same white room. He left immediately before they had a chance to find him. He ended up teleporting himself randomly to another world, searching every nook and cranny for his friends. He _refused_ to believe they were gone for good.

The first place he visited was a place called 'Traverse Town'. There were many people, more people than he'd ever seen in his home and on the island. He asked around and learned why.

Aside from Ansem, the other monsters that had attacked his friends were also Heartless. They apparently took many forms and always craved the hearts of regular people. If a person lost their heart to them...they would become one as well. The only way to stop them was by sealing the keyholes of every world, but...was it really Sora's place to do something like that? 

Sora placed a hand on his chin, thinking. _So that's what happened to Xehanort....he was attacked by Heartless...right?_

_...He would be strong enough to fight them off, though. So why....didn't he?_

"Hey, kid!"

"Huh?" Sora looked up at a man with blonde hair and a long toothpick in his mouth. He crossed his arms.

"Why the long face? If you want, you're more than welcome to get some rest at my place."

Sora shook his head. "...Sorry...Cid, was it?"

Cid nodded and grinned.

"I don't need a nap right now. But thank you."

"You sure about that?" Cid got on one knee and placed a hand on Sora's forehead.

"...You have a small fever. Plus, there's bags under your eyes. Some sleep might do you good."

"...It won't." Sora pulled off Cid's hand and left. Cid rubbed his head as the boy disappeared.

"So he's gone."

"Yikes!" Cid jumped back as a young man with brown hair was suddenly next to him.

"Darn it, Leon! Are you _trying_ to give me a heart attack?!?"

Leon shrugged. "...You should pay more attention to your surroundings."

Cid grumbled angrily and pull the toothpick out of his mouth.

"So, what do you make of that weird kid? Pretty sure I saw him pull out that...watchamacalit." Cid raised his arms up, mock swinging one of them as if he were holding a weapon.

"...The Keyblade." Leon closed his eyes.

"For everyone's sake, let's hope he uses it the right way."

\----------

Sora traveled to many other places, never taking a moment to rest as he looked for his friends. There were times when he thought he was hallucinating, sometimes seeing Vanitas staring at him or...another familiar boy.

Whoever the other boy was...he was very different from Vanitas. His words were always comforting, and his smile was never one of malice. It was one of genuine kindness. Sora always looked forward to seeing that boy. Vanitas, on the other hand....

....He would've felt a lot better without him around.

Despite his doubts, Sora seemed to find the keyholes of the worlds he visited every time. Sometimes he would close them. Sometimes he wouldn't. Sometimes it didn't even work. But he still made an effort to try, driven by the smallest encouragement to do something good. There were times when he even hallucinated seeing or hearing Kairi....

....But that wasn't possible. He was still looking for her, along with Riku. She couldn't be in plain sight after he saw and felt her disappear...

....Right?

....He'd never felt so... _lonely_ before. Maybe he was starting to go crazy from it.

Eventually, he came across a world named 'Neverland'. He met a boy named Peter Pan and decided to help him.

"You sure you're ok with this, Sora? Those pirates are awful nasty, and they don't care if you're a kid..." Peter Pan curved his lip as he floated above Sora.

"It's fine. And I want to help you find your friend." Sora placed a hand on his chest.

"...After all, I'm looking for my friends too."

"Alright!" Peter Pan grinned. "In that case, I'm going to help you learn a neat trick. Hey, Tink!"

A small fairy flew towards them. She looked at Sora and pouted.

"You mind sprinkling some of your fairy dust on Sora here? If we wanna save Wendy, he's gonna have to fly."

"...Wait, what?"

Tinker Bell chimed angrily and turned her back on Peter.

"Aw, come on Tink! I know you don't like Wendy all that much, but she's still a friend!"

Tinker Bell didn't respond. Peter sighed.

"...If we save her, she'll go home faster. Think of it like that!"

Tinker Bell turned her head, looking mildly convinced. She started flying rapidly around Sora as sparkling dust fell on him. He sneezed.

"Hey! What was that for?!?"

Sora suddenly felt lighter. He looked down and saw that he was floating.

"....Whoa...."

"Come on!" Peter grinned as he flew out of the room. Sora trailed behind him, picking up on the abilty easily.

_I can't believe it...I'm actually flying! Wait till I tell Kai-_

Sora's eyes widened. He winced as his heart started to ache.

_...I'll...tell her when I find her...._

Peter Pan let out a loud whoop as they flew out of the ship and into the night sky. Sora narrowly avoided a cannonball that flew towards him.

"Blast you, Peter Pan! You and your accursed help!!!" A pirate in red shouted.

"Catch us if you can, Hook!" Peter Pan stuck his tongue out at the captain, who yelled in indignation and kicked his shipmate in the rear.

"GET THOSE CANNONS READY, SMEE!!! AND WHERE ON EARTH IS THAT SAD EXCUSE FOR HELP FROM MALEFICENT?!?!"

"Consider yourself lucky for even _having_ my help, moron."

Sora recognized that voice. He stared in silent shock as one of the people he'd been searching for so desperately stepped outside of the captain's quarters. He noticed Sora instantly.

"...Sora???"

"Riku!!!!" Sora shot towards him like a bullet, ignoring Peter Pan's loud warning.

"Riku! I've been looking all over for-"

Sora skidded to a halt as Riku pulled out his keyblade and pressed it against Sora's chest.

"Don't you _dare_ come any closer."

"You know this little ruffian?" Hook inquired.

Riku gritted his teeth as he seethed with silent rage.

"...Unfortunately."

Sora gave him a pained look. Riku averted his eyes. Riku seemed hurt and betrayed from his expression, which was understandable.

"...Yeah. I wouldn't want to be friends with me either." Sora lowered his head.

"Well! YOU deal with him while I shoot that cursed Peter Pan out of the sky." Hook waved his hand dismissively and headed back to the cannons.

"....Riku...?"

He glanced at Sora, who was giving him the face of a lost, sad puppy. Riku rubbed his head in irritation.

"...Why are you even here? You're ruining everything."

Sora closed his hands into fists.

"...I've been looking for you and Kairi this whole time, you know."

A flicker of something passed through Riku's face. It looked like genuine surprise, but it was replaced by anger.

"...Seems like it. You look terrible. Not to mention you have nothing to show for it. I, on the other hand... _do_ have something after all my searching." He looked back at the door to the captain's quarters.

Sora felt something stir in his heart.

"...You...you found Kairi?!?"

Riku scowled. "...I'm not even going to ask how you know that."

Sora took a few steps past him. Riku smacked Sora with the hilt of his keyblade without hesitation. Sora rubbed the back of his head and dropped down onto the floor. He squeezed his eyes shut.

"...I won't let you go near her. _Never again._ Not after you broke your promise to me."

A horrible feeling stirred within Sora's heart. He couldn't tell if it was hatred, rage, or something... _beyond_ that.

**_Do it, Sora. Destroy him._ **

"Shut up..." Sora mumbled to himself. Riku raised an eyebrow.

 ** _He's keeping you away from her. Is that what a REAL friend would do?_** He felt an icy hand grip his shoulder tightly. A chill ran up his spine.

**_You don't need him to save her. Seize the opportunity! It's the right thing to do!_ **

**_Unless...he's right. You never really cared for her at all, did you?_ **

_"SHUT UP!!!!"_ Sora pulled out his own keyblade and swung it towards Riku. He blocked the attack with ease, but Sora was a bit stronger than he expected. It was enough to push Riku back a little.

Before Sora could gain the upper hand, Riku rammed his fist into Sora's abdomen. The wind was knocked out of Sora's lungs as he collapsed.

"That's enough outbursts from you. Just stay away from me and Kairi, if you know what's good for you." Riku glared at Sora coldly as his 'friend' curled up into a ball from the pain. Riku headed back inside the ship.

"Riku..." Sora looked up at the night sky just before he passed out.

Sora had nothing but nightmares as he slept temporarily. He woke up with a jolt and the memories of what he dreamed about went away. He looked around and realized he was on top of a massive clock tower.

"Hey, you're finally awake!"

Sora turned his head to Peter Pan, who was grinning. A girl that was standing next to him waved shyly.

"...Thank you for coming to help save me, Sora." She smiled.

"...But I didn't do anything..." Sora looked down.

"Eh. It's the thought that counts!" Peter Pan chuckled and patted his shoulder.

Sora smiled faintly at him.

"...Well, I'm at least glad that you found your friend." Sora stood up. 

"Hold on! What about yours? He was with Hook, right? I can help you get him back!" Peter pointed at himself with his thumb.

Sora shook his head.

"...No. He doesn't want to be my friend anymore. But thanks for offering."

Sora jumped off the clock tower. Peter and Wendy gasped and walked over to the edge. Sora flew upwards and around the tower. He pulled out his keyblade and closed the keyhole. Thankfully, it worked without much difficulty this time. He wondered why.

"Gee, I wish I could do more to help the little guy..." Peter rubbed his head and watched Sora as he disappeared into a strange black hole.

"Hey!!"

Peter looked over at an unusual floating ship with bright colors all over it. A duck popped his head out of the cockpit.

"Have you seen a boy with a key?!?" He shouted.

"...Sorry, you just missed him!" Peter yelled back. He waved as the cockpit closed and the ship flew away.

"Gawrsh, Donald...I thought we were close this time!"

Donald sighed.

"Me too, Goofy. But it would help if he stopped teleporting all over the place!!!"

Goofy scratched his head. "...I wonder how he keeps doin' that."

"Beats me!!!" Donald huffed and threw his arms up in the air. The ship started to tilt back and forth.

"Don't let go of the steering wheel!!!" Goofy exclaimed.

"Calm down, I've got it!!"

The ship flew around haphazardly as they left the world. Goofy's scream could be heard echoing across the passageways as they almost hit a meteor. Sora heard it as he was passing through a dark corridor. He looked around in confusion.

"...I wonder what that was."

\----------

Sora came across a very unusual world. It seemed to be quite damaged already, and a crudely designed castle was in the center. Sora could sense the darkness inside of it from a fair distance away. He jumped across a few floating rocks and caught sight of Riku at the very top of a cliff. There was a monster facing him.

The monster roared and brought his fists down on Riku. He missed. Riku smirked as he landed a powerful blow on the monster, who fell to the ground from exhaustion. Riku didn't even turn around as aimed his weapon behind him. Sora furrowed his brows and said nothing. A tiny smile formed on Riku's mouth.

Riku was gone in the blink of an eye as the monster struggled to lift his body with his arms. He was hurt. Sora took a few steps towards him.

"...Are you ok?"

The monster grunted as he got back up. He towered above Sora as he looked down.

"...I'm looking for someone. Try anything funny like that other boy and you'll regret it."

Sora raised his hands defensively. "I swear I won't attack you. I'm looking for someone, too."

"...." The monster rubbed his chin.

"...Maybe we can work something out, then. _If_ you're telling the truth."

"I wouldn't lie about this!" Sora placed a hand on his chest.

"....You seem sincere. But the darkness in your heart says otherwise." His claw lightly jabbed Sora's chest. Sora looked down sadly.

"...I'll still give you the benefit of the doubt. Come on." The monster removed his claw and motioned for Sora to follow. The small boy's eyes lit up, then he went after the monster eagerly.

"By the way, what's your name? I'm Sora!"

"...Call me Beast..." The monster grumbled. Sora nodded and smiled.

They made their way to the castle entrance. Sora tried to open the large door, but it was too heavy. Beast grabbed Sora with a single hand and pushed him gently out of the way, then growled loudly as he punched his way through. The doors were hit with such a tremendous amount of force that they unhinged themselves and fell onto the ground. Sora felt the faint rumble underneath his feet.

"Wow Beast, you're really strong!"

"...Hmph." Beast snorted as he stepped inside the dimly lit castle. Sora's head popped out from behind him as he surveyed the area with curiosity.

"...Hellooo?" Sora called out. Beast covered his entire face with his hand.

"Stop drawing attention to yourself. We need to be-"

Neoshadows, Darkballs, and several others that Sora couldn't name came out from the floor and walls. They were surrounded.

"-Careful." Beast jutted out his bottom jaw and glared at Sora, who smiled nervously and rubbed his head.

"...Oops."

Beast roared and crushed two of the Darkballs with his claws. Sora started to attack as well, striking down a couple of Heartless at a time. He then decided to fling his keyblade at the Heartless. It spun like a boomerang around the room, giving the creatures no time to react as they were sliced apart and turned into smoke. Sora watched as the hearts inside them floated away. He caught his keyblade flawlessly as it came spinning back.

"See? I can do cool stuff too!" Sora grinned and hoisted his keyblade onto his shoulder. Beast rolled his eyes.

 _"You_ need to learn how to be more quiet. Keep moving." Beast trudged forward and went up the stairs. Sora rushed over to catch up.

"Believe me, you two have already been noticed."

Sora turned his head and saw a woman standing in the center of the room. Her skin was bright green and her eyes were pitch black. She smiled maliciously as Beast leapt off the stairs and slammed his fists into the concrete.

"Temper, temper. What would your dear Belle say if she saw you now?"

 _"GIVE HER BACK!!!"_ Beast snarled. The witch cackled as she vanished before Beast could reach her.

_"If you want her so badly, come and get her. The same goes for you, boy."_

Sora gasped. "Kairi..."

"Hurry, Sora!" Beast jumped up and climbed back onto the top of the staircase. Sora ran as quickly as he could after him.

The two of them made their way to the top of the castle, taking down any Heartless that stood in their path. Beast tore the final door apart once they finally reached it. The first thing they saw was the witch, right in the center of the room. Riku was lying his back on the wall with his arms crossed and his eyes closed. He opened his eyes and grinned when he caught sight of Sora.

Maleficent laughed, raising her hand up to her mouth. "About time. I was getting rather impatient waiting for you fools."

"Belle!" Beast ran towards a glass casket holding a girl inside. She seemed to be sleeping with thorns wrapped around the bottom of her dress.

Sora noticed that there were 5 other girls aside from Belle trapped in the same glass caskets. He saw the small frame of a person behind Maleficent's black robes. His heart soared when he recognized the undeniable red hair.

"Kairi!!!"

"You shall not lay a hand on her, pathetic child. It's the least I could do for Riku after being so...compliant with my requests."

Riku lowered his head. Sora frowned at him.

"...So that's what you've been doing this whole time?! Grunt work for bad people?!?"

**"...You're one to talk, Sora."**

Sora was taken aback by Riku's words, but more importantly...his voice. It sounded _off,_ and not in a good way. Why did it seem so...familiar?

He turned pale when it finally clicked in his mind.

"...A...Ansem...?"

 **"Correct. I'm surprised that you figured it out faster than the witch."** He chuckled.

 _"What?!"_ Maleficent slammed her staff on the ground indignantly. "What is the meaning of this? What have you done???"

 **"...Must I spell it out for you? Riku is no longer here."** Riku's regular clothes faded away. In their place, a body suit formed with the shape of a black heart etched into his chest.

 **"...I am Ansem. The Seeker of Darkness!"** Riku looked up at nothing with a manic expression on his face.

Maleficent gripped her staff tightly. She walked over to him.

"Well then, 'Ansem'. Tell me. Are you with me....or _against_ me?" Flames started to come out of her.

**"...What an excellent question."**

In the blink of an eye, a black keyblade had been driven into her chest. She choked as she stared down at it in shock, dropping her staff.

**"...You were destined to fail. So I decided to make it quicker for you."**

Maleficent screeched as she burst into flames and grew in size. Sora watched in horror as she transformed into a massive dragon, breathing out a torrent of fire from her mouth.

 **"...Your persistence is annoying."** Riku threw his keyblade at her. It impaled her in the same exact spot. Shrieking, her body crashed down onto the floor. Sora avoided large chunks of concrete falling from the roof, trying his best to maintain his footing. After the dust and flames had settled, there was nothing left aside from her scorched cloak.

"You...you _killed_ her..." Sora felt tears streaming from his eyes. He gritted his teeth and summoned his keyblade.

 _"You...you used me. You used other people. You used my friends...."_ Sora lowered his head.

_"...WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?! HOW CAN YOU BE SO TWISTED AND BROKEN INSIDE?!? WHY ARE YOU EVEN DOING THIS??"_

Ansem sneered.

**"...Curiosity. Why else?"**

Sora snapped. He yelled as he swung his keyblade like a baseball bat at Ansem. Their weapons scraped against each other for a second before Ansem teleported away and kicked Sora in the back. Sora threw his keyblade at Ansem, who knocked it out of the air. It clattered on the ground as Sora attempted to summon it back. Ansem formed a ball of darkness and threw it at Sora. He smacked it away, ignoring the burning sensation he felt in his arms and hands. His keyblade reappeared and he charged towards Ansem again. They both attempted to strike with fatal blows at incredible speeds, to the point that they nearly appeared invisble.

Soon, they both stopped. They were both breathing heavily.

**"....It appears we have come to an impasse."**

Sora fell to his knees. He started sobbing again.

"Please...."

Ansem tilted his head curiously.

"Please...let him go. I'll go back to the castle. I won't fight anymore. I'll do whatever you want. Just....let him go...."

Ansem rubbed his chin.

 **"You can start by freeing the last Princess of Heart from your body."** Ansem aimed his keyblade at Sora's chest, who cried out when a searing pain shot through his chest. It felt like his very essence was about to be ripped out of him.

"K...Kairi's inside me...?" He gripped his coat tightly.

Ansem approached him and raised his weapon.

**"...You would be much more useful if you were dead."**

Sora reached out and grabbed Ansem's leg. Ansem screamed as Sora made him catch on fire. It wasn't enough to incinerate him completely, but it left a few scorch marks.

"...Only I get to decide that."

Ansem collapsed, dropping his keyblade beside him. Sora picked it up and gripped the handle tightly.

"...."

**_So....you're really going to do it. You're going to give up your own life, all for a friend who may or may not betray you._ **

Sora's hands started to shake.

**_Use your head, idiot. Look at what Riku did to you! What's stopping HER from doing the same thing?!?_ **

Sora started breathing unevenly as tears fell to the ground.

**_Save yourself! Stop clinging onto fleeting memories of things you'll never have again!!!_ **

Sora clutched the side of his head. It hurt so _much._

...Maybe...he was right.

....Maybe he should just...let go...and forget...

_...No._

Sora gasped. That voice...

...It wasn't Vanitas.

_...You shouldn't forget, Sora. Those memories are important to you. They're your greatest treasure. They're what make you who you are._

He could sense Vanitas struggling to pierce through his thoughts, but he simply couldn't. Whoever was speaking to him now was stronger.

"...Who am I, then?"

The voice chuckled.

_...I shouldn't have to tell you that. You already know who you are. Even if you don't believe it...you have the strength. To protect what's most precious to you, and still be you at your core._

Sora smiled.

"...Why are you...helping me?"

_...Let's just say that I owe you one._

_Now come on, Sora. Make the choice for yourself. What do you want to do?_

Sora looked down at the black keyblade in his hands. He turned it around and pressed it onto his chest.

"...I'm going to save my friend."

Sora drove the keyblade into his chest. He smiled and closed his eyes as three hearts floated above him. Kairi woke up with a start as her heart reentered her chest. She looked around in confusion until she caught sight of Sora. He was falling.

"Sora!" She managed to catch him, only for him to turn into speckles of light. Her heart twisted when she saw his light go up and disappear.

"Sora...no..." Kairi sniffed as she started crying.

"Kairi...?"

She gasped and turned to see Riku. He rubbed his head with both of his hands and opened his eyes. They were clear blue, just as they'd always been.

"...You're awake. What's...going on? What happe-"

Riku didn't finish as Kairi embraced him. Riku slowly wrapped his arms around her as she sobbed on his chest.

"He's gone, R-Riku, he's....h-he's..." she stammered.

"Hey, it's ok..." Riku patted her head gently. He saw two hearts beginning to fade away.

"....He saved us."

A swarm of Shadows burst into the room abruptly. Riku hugged Kairi tightly as he stood and summoned his original keyblade. He realized that they were coming for the hearts.

"Kairi, stay close to me!" Riku let her go momentarily and slashed at the first few Heartless that approached.

A few Shadows straggled inside the room once the horde had gone through. The last one that came in stumbled on itself, disoriented. Its antennae twitched as it looked around. It noticed Kairi, standing nervously near Riku as he fought off most of them. The Shadow started running to her.

"That should be enough for us to get out of here."

"Ahh!"

Riku turned around as Kairi nudged one of the Shadows with her foot. It was persistent on getting closer. He grunted and raised his keyblade to attack. The Shadow continued to stare at her, almost as if it were curious. It uncharacteristically scratched its own head. Kairi raised a hand to her mouth.

"Riku, wait!"

Riku paused mid-swing. His eyes widened in alarm as she kneeled down to face the Heartless.

Kairi, what are you doing?!?"

"Just wait!" Kairi slowly extended her hand towards it.

"...Sora? Is that you?"

The Shadow flinched away from her hand at first. But after a while, it reached out with its own hand and touched hers. Riku stared in awe.

"...No way..."

Kairi looked up at Riku with a smile, which was quickly replaced by fear.

"Behind you!"

Riku yelled in pain as one of the Shadows scratched his back. They manifested from the ground and pressed against Riku and Kairi. Without a second thought, Kairi hugged the friendly Shadow.

"This time, I'm protecting you."

A beam of light suddenly formed where the Shadow used to be. Kairi and Riku covered their eyes. The other Heartless couldn't withstand the light and disintegrated instantaneously. When the light faded, Kairi felt herself get pulled into a hug.

"...Kairi."

Kairi looked up. Sora was holding her and smiling.

...His eyes were _blue._

"Thank you."

Kairi and Sora stood up. Riku hugged them both tightly.

"Sora...Kairi...I'm so sorry."

"You knucklehead... _I'm_ the one that should be apologizing!" Sora laughed.

After a while, they let go of each other. Sora rubbed his head.

"...I should go and see if Beast's ok. I'll be right back!" Sora turned and headed for the exit. Riku and Kairi followed closely behind him for a moment. Just in case.

He opened the door and saw that the hallway was dark.

"That's...weird. Weren't there lamps here to light the way before...?"

Riku narrowed his eyes. He gasped.

"Sora, get back!!!"

Sora didn't have time to react as two large black arms stretched out from the darkness and grabbed him. Sora struggled to free himself as Riku ran towards him, keyblade in hand.

"Sora!" Riku tried hitting the arms, but they pulled Sora into the darkness before he could.

"NO!!!" Riku shouted. He blasted fire magic out of his hand to see the dark hallway better.

...Nothing was there.

"No..." Riku shook his head and dropped his keyblade. "No no no NO!!!" Riku fell on the ground and punched the floor. Kairi touched his shoulder.

"I had him! I had him....but they took him away again!!!" Riku punched the floor again. Kairi winced and looked out to the dark corridor.

"...We'll find him again." Kairi closed her hands into fists.

"...I know we will."

\--------

"Let's go through this one more time."

Young Xehanort paced around a small chair with his arms behind his back. Sora was sitting in it, staring down with an empty expression. His yellow eyes barely moved.

"...What is your name?"

"Sora."

"Who do you serve?"

"Xehanort."

"Is there _anything_ that would impede you from fulfilling your true purpose?"

"........"

Young Xehanort grimaced. He leaned down amd grabbed Sora's hair, forcing him to look up.

_"Do not make me ask you again."_

Sora hesitated with a twinge of terror in his eyes.

"...N...No."

"...Good. One last question." Xehanort smiled.

"...Do you have any friends?"

Sora winced, silently pleading Young Xehanort to skip the question. Xehanort glared at him with an intense expression, clearly waiting for Sora's response. The boy closed his eyes in defeat.

"No."

"Excellent. Now get out of my sight." Young Xehanort released Sora's hair and watched him run out of the room. He rubbed his temple and inhaled sharply.

"What do you make of him now?"

Young Xehanort glanced back to see Xemnas.

"...He's more trouble than he's worth."

Xemnas started walking towards him. "...He will adapt in time."

"I do not doubt you on that. Time is like an flowing river. Eternal. Consistent. Intriguing to witness as the occasional ripples occur."

"...Ansem has been defeated."

Young Xehanort nodded. "...As expected. But by whom?"

"The boy named Riku. And the seventh Princess of Heart, who seems to have acquired a keyblade of her own."

"...Interesting." Young Xehanort's eyes lit up as he raised a hand up to his chin.

Xemnas smirked. "They also managed to seal the remaining keyholes that Sora failed to close. From what I could gather...Riku allowed Ansem into his heart one more time so he could reach the Realm of Darkness."

"...And the light obliterated the foolish Heartless when he opened the door. Predictable." Young Xehanort shook his head.

"...So for the time being, they have been separated. And Sora is finally within our grasp. I believe we are still on the winning side. Aren't we?"

Xemnas nodded. Young Xehanort laughed a little.

"The pieces are finally coming together. We will soon have what we have been so desperately seeking to achieve." Young Xehanort looked out the window and reached up for a giant, glowing heart.

"The Keyblade War shall soon be upon us. And with it...Kingdom Hearts."

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for the support and kind words! I'll keep this up for a little longer, mainly because I'm curious to see how I can tie in the original story.


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